


As Humans Do

by Lithiasaur



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, One Shot, Random - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, cuteness, help me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 11:21:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19767157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lithiasaur/pseuds/Lithiasaur
Summary: Pearl and Jasper are off on a mission together, following sightings of a monster. Instead, they find a nice chance to get to know one another a bit more.





	As Humans Do

**Author's Note:**

> I just started writing randomly yesterday. It was supposed to be a smutty one shot and just never got there. So here's some random, pointless fluff, I guess. I'll get better at this at some point.

“The sightings seem to originate in this forest. Though there is a long history of strange things happening here, according to the local legends. I was speaking with-” Pearl was saying, waving her hand over her shoulder to her companion. She was always saying something, as Jasper had quickly come to learn, so she adopted a method of only half listening to her. She keyed in to important words, but for the most part was just looking around the hunting grounds for signs of their quarry. At the very least, Pearl had not managed to lead them here uselessly: she was following the trail quite well. 

Jasper was still getting used to just how much this simple pearl could do. 

“We haven’t even confirmed that this is a corrupt gem. Why are we wasting our time?” Jasper definitely interrupted Pearl in the middle of a sentence, judging from her shocked face as she turned to look at her. She blinked, not sure when the other stopped listening to her and unhappy about how blatantly she let it be known. 

Jasper was unwavering in her returned stare, not a trace of sheepishness or apology crossing her features. Pearl was the first to look away, with a flush of light blue dusting her cheeks. Jasper arched her eyebrow at that, feeling a slight surge of accomplishment. 

She had joined the Crystal Gem’s most vocal member on a few missions now, the two creating a tense, but effective working relationship. They found they were well matched, with Jasper’s brute strength and keen warrior’s instincts, and Pearl’s intellect and improvisational skills. There were still many corrupt gems and strange artifacts out there to be collected, along with protecting the Earth from any new threat that came its way. Why she chose to stay here, to live this way, was beyond the once proud warrior Quartz. Maybe she felt there was nothing left for her on Homeworld. 

Or it would just not want her back. Whatever the case, she subjected herself to this place, and these traitors. Over the weeks, they grew on her. Like moss, she supposed, or some other fungus. Harmless, mostly, but sometimes very annoying. 

But when Pearl turned away from her in frustration, clenching her fist at her side and blushing in that pretty little way off hers, Jasper could not help but grin behind her back. Amethyst always said it was a lot of fun to tease Pearl, and as her ‘sister’, wanted to share this game with Jasper. It turned out, she was quite right. 

“You’re impossible,” she heard Pearl grumbling, tuning back in just in time to realize she missed yet another tirade. That was on accident, as her attention was just too fully drawn by staring at her mission partner and absorbing how every annoyance impacted her lithe frame. The Pearl made no effort to hide her emotions, at least not when she was angry. It was true in other situations too, though, as more than once Jasper had been on the receiving end of a surprise hug when she managed to do something that pleased the excitable gem. 

Now Jasper was distracted by wondering how she could get Pearl to give her a hug after annoying her so much. 

A rustle in the bushes nearby caused Jasper to move suddenly, grabbing the little gem and scooping her right off the ground. She had one hand on the back of Pearl’s collar, the other on her butt, and held her up high over her own head as she looked down at the source off the noise. An Earth animal coiled its way out of the bushes and struck at where Pearl had just been standing, instead finding the meaty leg of Jasper. It sank long, curled fangs into her flesh, but pulled back with immediate regrets as one of its fangs snapped off in the surprisingly sturdy musculature. The snake retreated quickly, even while Jasper was lifting her bitten foot to stomp on it. 

She lowered her foot harmlessly, the snake disappearing back the way it had come. Lowering Pearl, but not putting her on the ground yet, she looked down at the absolutely flustered and shocked Gem now cradled in her arms. 

“What?” 

“You… what… what did you…?” Pearl stammered. Now, when Jasper wanted to know why she was so out of sorts, Pearl suddenly did not know how to talk. Figured. Maybe she’d used up her allotment of words for the day with all that pointless babbling earlier. She moved the hand she had on Pearl’s butt and let her drop to her feet, lowering her down to the ground by the back of her shirt. Pearl settled lightly on her toes, blinking and staying very still until Jasper let her go. It was like scruffing a cat, somehow, though Jasper was pretty sure she had not grabbed on to any of Pearl’s skin. 

Pearl saw the bite on Jasper’s lower leg, just above her ankle, and let out a cry of surprise. 

“Oh!”

“I thought it might be the corrupt gem, but it was a toothy worm,” Jasper said boredly, wincing when she felt Pearl poking around the bite. She looked down with a frown, then abruptly sat down on the ground and offered her leg to Pearl so she could get a better look. She nearly kicked the smaller gem, which probably would have resulted in her sailing into the canopy, but Pearl drew back just in time. She resituated herself, very gently taking Jasper’s ankle and resting the foot of that leg in her lap. 

“I’ll get this out. Is it painful? I know those things, snakes, are supposed to be very venomous in these parts, but without the same sort of system of blood running through us as humans, I don’t think it will poison you. At least. I hope not. Still, you need to be more careful, Jasper: the creatures on this planet are not all as harmless as humans.” 

“Me be careful? Didn’t I just save you from getting bitten by that thing?” Jasper fixed Pearl a very pointed glare, and watched as that deep, cute flush of color returned to her cheeks. It varied in degree of blue, sometimes, depending on how embarrassed Pearl was, and just what sort of embarrassment it happened to be. This kind, where she knew she was wrong and was caught in her argument, seemed to run deeper under her skin. 

“Well. Yes, I suppose… there’s no knowing if I would have dodged away from it, or if it would have even attacked me had you not stomped up and startled it… ah… but… thank you. For trying, anyway. I appreciate the effort.” 

Pearl did not dare look toward Jasper, eyes remaining very steadily on the bite. She carefully pulled the fang free, knowing for a fact that those were not supposed to come out of the animal, and it was probably not okay without it. Frowning, unsure if pulling the tooth out might upset the poison it potentially contained, Pearl shrugged out of her jacket and ripped one of the arms off, turning the sleeve into some strips of fabric and wrapping them tightly around the injury. 

“There. Until we’re back and I can clean it properly, we’ll just have to keep everything in this forest out. I don’t want to be proven wrong about Gems being unable to get poisoned by those things.” Finally, she looked up at Jasper, who was staring at her intensely. “...what? Did I hurt you?” 

Jasper made a face, as if interrupted from something, and looked away. Pearl’s shirt under the now discarded jacket was more like a bustier than anything else. It left her shoulders, upper chest and back bare, revealing more of that flawless, pale skin that Jasper was finding more and more distracting. 

“You’re wasting time again,” Jasper grunted, moving to pull her ankle from Pearl’s lap and get up. She accidentally shoved Pearl over with the action, looking down at her in surprise. Pearl picked herself up without comment, dusting off the dirt and grass from the forest floor and looking at Jasper seriously. If she was upset, she masked it well. 

She certainly did not look happy, though.

“Yes, I guess I might be. But it’s better to be careful. Now, let’s go. The last sighting was deeper in the forest, toward the north. There’s meant to be a small ravine with a cave system running through it: it sounds like a good place for a corrupt gem to hide.” 

She walked by Jasper, and the Quartz fell into step behind her. There was a dried leaf clinging to the back of Pearl’s shirt, just at the hem where it met her pants. Jasper had already become all too familiar with how neat the little gem liked to be, and moved to brush the leaf off for her out of courtesy. 

All Pearl felt was Jasper patting her butt. She stopped suddenly, the bigger gem running into her, not expecting them to be stopping again so soon. Her hand was now firmly planted on Pearls’ backside for the second time that day. This time, though, Jasper tugged her own hand back and had no real excuse to hide behind. 

“There was a leaf…” 

“Is this going to be a habit with you? Should I let you lead?” 

Grumbling, Jasper took the lead, stomping away from Pearl and wondering why she was getting in trouble when she was just trying to be helpful. She would never understand these Crystal Gems fully at this rate, as even when she was trying to get along with them, strange things kept happening. Weird feelings, and awkwardness, no matter how she tried to be calm and confident. Pearl, once she was safely behind Jasper’s back and certain she could not be seen, covered her face with her hands and stifled an embarrassed eep. She looked up at the large expanse of Jasper’s impressive back, noting the way it was carved with all the finesse a warrior Quartz usually could only dream of. 

They were not exaggerations, the reports that she was flawless. Pearl had trouble relaxing around her, and not just because of their strained past. She accepted that Jasper was redeeming herself now, working with them rather than against them, so it was not fear that made her feel so exposed and vulnerable. She shook her head and placed a mental order for her to compose herself, which she managed with a deep breath. Dropping her hands to her sides, she hurried to catch up to Jasper, who had not broken her stride during the mild, bashful breakdown her companion was silently having. 

She had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to stop, while Pearl was struggling to move under the weight of hers. 

A ravine opened before them, much like the reports Pearl was relying on described. It looked well worn, with walking paths all around it, and clear evidence that animals used this area all the time. It was not exactly a secret hiding place, like Pearl was expecting. 

Jasper plodded ahead, looking around curiously. There was a couple small caves, but they looked small and independent of each other, and not like a network of caves where anything of any real size could hide. Certainly not a corrupt quartz, though she supposed there were probably other, smaller corrupt gems they could be looking for. She looked back at Pearl skeptically as her foot connected with an empty can, and it went clattering across the smooth, stony floor. 

“There’s a lot of trash here… I think the humans use this place more than any animal or gem would. But I suppose we should check the caves, just in case,” Pearl offered hopefully, not willing to admit she had found them a bad lead just yet. It all seemed reasonable: the teenagers she was speaking to who shared their story of sighting the monster seemed very eager to share it. They likely really wanted the help in finding and capturing it, so they could be safe when they came to this place.

Or… they were just being bratty teenagers, responding to her asking them directly about ‘monster sightings’ as any hot blooded human child might. Sarcastically and in a way that would just cause a problem. 

Jasper rolled her eyes and moved to the first cave, poking her head inside. It was too small to really be useful for anything, though a lot of trash had gathered inside. In fact, she was pretty sure that was what it was actually being used as: a bin. Grunting, she moved away from it, wandering across the way to join Pearl at the bigger cave opening. This one had enough room for them to walk inside, and there they found a small little den had been set up. It was clean and there was a book sitting near a collection of blankets and pillows.

Curious, Pearl moved to pick up the book, perching on a rock that had been rolled into the den to act as a chair. There was a stool beside it, but Jasper was pretty sure she would break it if she sat down. She remained standing, staring at Pearl. She watched as the other’s eyes moved across the words on the pages, growing wider and wider, blue racing over the bridge of her nose and flooding her cheeks. She slammed the book shut and hugged it to herself, staring at Jasper as if she protecting her from it.

“Nothing!!!” Pearl insisted, before even being asked what she was reading. Jasper stared at her, eyebrows furrowing. She held her hand out for the book expectantly, but Pearl shook her head. “No, it’s not important. It’s just proof that there’s no Corrupt Gem here: this place is used… quite frequently by the teenagers from the village nearby. There’s no need for us to be here. We can just. Leave. And I’ll. Put this back.” 

Jasper did not move as Pearl hopped to her feet, taking a step toward the cave and looking very hopeful that Jasper would take the hint. She did not, and only shifted her body so she could change the angle she was holding her hand out to accommodate for Pearl’s new position. Defeated by Jasper’s unwavering stare, feeling her nerves fraying under those intense golden eyes, Pearl placed the book lightly in Jasper’s hands. 

Inside was a comprehensive guide for using the den, called the Love Nest. It had a clear code of conduct, from cleaning up after themselves and taking turns cleaning out the garbage cave. Apparently this was a sort of log book of those who came to spend their evenings here, with recordings of ‘events’ taking place, as well as notes of thanks to whoever was responsible for setting the whole thing up. Not all the stories were from teenagers or college students, as even adults wrote about stealing away for a night of pretending they were young again. 

Jasper only had one question. 

“What does it mean when they say they had ‘the best sex of their lives’ here? All of these accounts are of sex, it seems. What is that? A human concept, obviously.” 

“Uhm. Well. Not. Entirely human. I mean. Lots of… things… have sex. The animals here, for breeding purposes. Of course the humans, for both breeding and… fun. And sometimes. You know. We can. Not. Not WE. Not me and you, I mean. Obviously. Uh. I just mean, Gems. You… you’ve never…?” 

“Never what?” Jasper was lost, and she looked rather annoyed about it. She looked down at the book again, scanning another story. Pearl’s blush did not clear up, and only seemed to deepen the more she had to stand there. It was a beautiful, dark blue of a kind Jasper had not seen or documented yet. What was making her react like that? 

“Jasper, I feel like this might be a conversation for another time... “

“Why?” 

“It’s… it’s very complicated.”

“You think I won’t understand? Humans aren’t that tough. Just tell me already.” Jasper sat on the rock, and not in a particularly dainty fashion. Pearl, helpless, perched on the stool beside her. She had her legs together demurely, her hands on her knees. Her eyes were downcast, and determined to stay that way. 

“The humans that come here to use this place are just trying to have fun. Enjoy themselves in a way that is very intimate. It’s… about pleasure. Sometimes, quite a lot of it. It’s very... “ she looked a little distant, and made a face that Jasper had never seen before. One that made her heart flutter in a strange way. She gripped the book tighter, digging her claws in to the cover without realizing it. Pearl saw, though, and carefully rescued the poor ledger from Jasper’s grip and set it back on the table. 

Jasper’s hand found Pearl’s arm as she was pulling away, tugging her to look at her more directly. 

“Tell me more, Pearl,” she said, but her tone was softer than before. No longer as irritated, and instead allowing herself to be curious. Pearl stared at her with wide, glistening eyes. There was heat behind her gaze, and her mouth was hanging open as she struggled to find any words to say, let alone the right ones. 

“Oh… I don’t… I’m no expert. I… I just… oh, stars.” She covered her eyes with her hands, but her gem began to glow. Instead of explaining, she cast an image with her gem toward the nest of pillows and blankets, filling it with the image of two beings moving together, exploring their bodies. She used flashes of different scenes, allowing Jasper to watch while keeping her own eyes covered. Two women, touching and licking. One with her face between the other’s legs, the other shaking and silently screaming in ecstacy. New beings, one with a strange new appendage between their legs, meeting a female form and sinking into it. Rutting together, both unable to keep from touching, kissing, moaning in silence. Jasper watched in rapt fascination, leaning back when the images finally faded. 

Her face very serious, she picked up the book again, reading through a few of the stories again with renewed focus. She pointed to one of them, handing the book to Pearl. Pearl did not see it, as she still had her face covered. She shoved the book harder against Pearl’s arm, nearly knocking her elbow off her knee, and Pearl finally looked up to feebly take the book. Shaking, she looked back at the story Jasper was pointing at. 

“Read it.” 

“I-I am,” Pearl almost whimpered. 

“Out loud.” 

“Ah… uh…” She cleared her throat, not sure what she was getting into here. She had not gotten very far into the short note, so she started over. “She asked me out here and I was surprised. I always thought she hated me, or at least didn’t want anything to do with me. And she was always too good for me, anyway, so it never really mattered. I didn’t try to be friends with her, but I guess she noticed me. I don’t know how she knew. Maybe she saw me looking at her, in the quad. I sat behind her in class, just so she couldn’t see me. Maybe she felt my eyes.” 

Pearl swallowed hard, heart thundering in her chest. She looked up from the page, finding Jasper’s eyes on her. Those intense, gold eyes that already made her feel weak and exposed, now with new weight in them. She blushed furiously, that same deep blue, and looked back down at the page. 

“So she asked me up here. I said sure. Maybe they were going to prank me, her and her friends. They came up here all the time. But she was alone. She was waiting for me, and she looked nervous. I tried to be cool, but as soon as I saw her I lost it. All those years of composing myself, pretending I didn’t care that we were worlds apart. I kissed her. It was my first kiss. I waited for her to punch me for it. Instead, she kissed me back.” 

Pearl moved to close the book, the story ending there, but Jasper put her big hand over the book to stop her. She was leaning forward, her face dangerously close to Pearl’s now. The cave felt so silent, the darkness so dense, Pearl could hardly breathe. Except she did not really need to breathe, anyway. So why did it hurt? 

“The next one. Her partner wrote it.” 

“Y-yes. Do you w-want me to read it, too?” 

“No,” Jasper took the book back, looking down at the page. She cleared her throat, frown deepening as she focused on the small words some human had written for no real reason, yet somehow managed to need to be read. “I couldn’t believe she showed up. She’s so cool, but I always thought she was shy. She never wanted to hang out with me or my friends, so I never thought she would come here, of all places. But I guess that’s why this nest means so much to everyone. It’s somewhere that things like this can happen. And boy, did it happen. I just wanted to write to say thank you. We both did. You brought us together, Nester, and we’ll definitely be back. Together. Just like we came.” 

She paused, then held the book out to Pearl again. 

“What’s that?”

Pearl, snapping out of a daze, looked at the book and sighed. “It’s a winky face. They made a joke. That’s… that’s a very dirty joke.” 

“I want to do it.” Jasper snapped the book shut and slammed it on the table, looking at Pearl intently. She kept her hand on the book, pushing down on it as she got to her feet. 

“D-do…?” 

“What they did.” She put her hands on her hips, staring at the little Pearl intently. Pearl was shocked by how forward she was being, blush never ending at this point. She was starting to feel lightheaded from it. Or maybe that was something else. The same thing making her feel very hot and uncomfortable, despite not even wearing a jacket. “I watch you all the time. I think about how pretty you are. I want you to leave here with me like they did. Why can’t we? Whatever they did, it made them... ‘friends’, right?”

Pearl stared at Jasper in wonder. She wanted to be friends? That was very sweet, but she got the feeling that Jasper was very confused about what any of this meant. Maybe Pearl felt the same way as the girls in that story, but she could hardly use that as a reason to jump into bed with Jasper now, in the middle of a mission no less! 

“We can be friends, Jasper, it’s not…” 

“Then why can’t we use the nest? That’s what they said it was for, isn’t it? I want you to stop being afraid of me. And all this talk about feeling good, and feeling happy. I want to know what that means. I want to feel that. I don’t know what any of this is, and it’s making me...” She trailed off, and Pearl watched as her expression shifted from annoyed and worked up to something far more gentle. Sorrowful, and quiet. Her shoulders drooped, and she turned away from Pearl abruptly. “Maybe we should leave. You’re right.” 

“Jasper… I… I had no idea…” 

Pearl looked at the little book, with its now ripped cover. She smiled, wondering just how similar the two girls in that book were to she and Jasper. Had it really been that cut and dry? Even Jasper, brand new to Earth and the way the Crystal Gems adapted to life here, had picked up on something. Pearl, so used to forcing herself to ignore any feeling she had, wondered if she had just been too good at protecting her heart. Making it impossible for someone like Jasper, struggling with even simple emotions that they took for granted, to get anywhere near her. 

But she felt those pulls… she saw those looks… 

“Wait, Jasper. Come here. Maybe we don’t have to… do everything in that book. But we can… here,” she reached out and took Jasper’s big hand in her own, much smaller one. She tugged her gently toward the nest, knowing if Jasper really did not want to move she would just be tugging at a dead weight with no hope of moving it. Instead, Jasper’s hand followed where it was led, and the hulking body followed after. She was looking away, eyes hidden under her thick mane of hair that had fallen forward. Pearl guided her into the strange bed, sitting down and indicating Jasper did, too. 

“There,” Pearl said softly, leaning toward the other and putting her hands on Jasper’s leg. She smiled up at the warrior gem warmly, hoping to catch a glance of her golden eyes. Jasper kept them well hidden, though. “It’s okay, you know. To tell me things about yourself. I know you’re shy, and you’re trained to only do your duties. But here on Earth, you’re free to discover who you really are. We all get to learn about you, too, and I… I’ve really enjoyed our missions together. You’re always so calm and collected, and you can handle anything we encounter. But I was surprised by how caring you are. Sometimes I don’t think you notice. But the way you protected me from that snake today? It was very kind.”

Jasper ran her big hand through her own hair, finally looking down at Pearl. She was no longer frowning, at least, but her face was drawn in a difficult to read expression that still made Pearl shiver. Her eyes… they were so clear, vivid, and yet so full of emotions. Things she was clearly battling with, and straining to understand.

“I’m not kind. If it had been the corrupt gem, you could have been damaged and then we would be one Gem down for the mission.”

“Pragmatic, then. But that’s good, too. You’re still thinking about us like you’re partners. And… and me. I know I wasn’t very nice about it back there, but I really appreciate the way you protected me. I don’t have many people worrying about me like that, enough to literally pick me up and out of harm’s way.”

She took a breath, rubbing her hand idly on Jasper’s leg. 

“I’m very strong. I worked hard at it, to become what I am today. More than a Pearl, and capable of taking care of myself. Everyone knows that: the Crystal Gems respect it, and let me be who I want to be. But… sometimes I get so wrapped up in it, I forget what it’s like to have someone reach out to help. To let them do that. Maybe it’s pride, or selfishness. A need to constantly prove myself, when there’s nothing to prove. I feel like I’m still making up for every mistake I’ve ever made. It’s an impossible battle: I make a lot of them.”

Jasper found herself watching the pretty little gem, shaking her head. She put her hand over Pearl’s on her leg, stopping her movements for a moment.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Well, I was thinking… if humans use this bed to connect, we can, too. Sex isn’t the only way to deepen a relationship. I thought… maybe we could learn a little more about each other. Maybe it was a stupid idea. It was, wasn’t it? It’s sounding stupid now. We don’t need to sit in this bed to do that… it’s just an idea.” 

Jasper watched Pearl get herself all flustered and embarrassed, doubting herself. Despite how troubled and confused she was, the warrior quartz smiled at the sight, which was enough to shut Pearl’s brain off completely. She had a beautiful smile, even as small and quiet as this one was. It was exactly what Pearl saw in her: kind, and warm. Proof. 

“I like your ideas. You always have them. I’ve never known a Pearl to be so smart. You’re just meant to be pretty, aren’t you? That’s what you’re designed for. But you somehow managed to do more than all that. I can’t do that. I’m just a warrior.”

“That’s the second time you’ve called me pretty... “ Pearl blushed, “but you know, you’re beautiful, too.” 

“W-what?” 

“Oh, Jasper. Has no one ever told you that?”

“I’m a warrior,” she said with a shrug, as if that explained it all. It really settled on Pearl in that moment just how isolated and sheltered Jasper had been. Stuck in her role, no chance to explore and learn like Pearl and the other Crystal Gems got. No way to really become anything but what they were designed for. And of course, no way to experience all the joys things like friendship and love really brought. 

Pearl swallowed her fear and scooted closer, getting to her feet. Jasper lifted her hands, confused, but Pearl raised her own hand to stop her from moving. She brushed it along her cheek, before curling her dainty fingers behind Jasper’s head, into her surprisingly soft hair. She leaned in and pressed a very light kiss to Jasper’s lips, pausing a moment. Jasper did not pull away, though she tensed, and Pearl kissed her again, deeper this time. After a moment, she felt Jasper leaning into the kiss. 

“What is this…” Jasper breathed, but she did not bother to pull away from Pearl’s soft, sweet lips. It made the smaller gem laugh, the feather light way Jasper’s lips moved against hers, before seeking another kiss. So she really had never been kissed before. It was a shame: everyone deserved to be shown they were loved. 

That was something Pearl was still working on, herself. 

“A kiss,” she pulled back, brushing her hands through Jasper’s hair soothingly, smiling at her gently. “I’m sorry. I can’t bear the idea that no one has ever made you feel as beautiful and lovely as you really are.” 

“So you pity me?” 

“No, Jasper,” Pearl sighed, hugging her head to her chest, almost to get her to not talk for a moment. “I like you. I’ve been wanting to kiss you since our third mission together. I just thought… well. I wasn’t good enough to try. That you deserve so much better. And you do, I know that. But here, Earth, away from Homeworld, we don’t have to rely on the titles and the roles we’re assigned any more. We can be… whatever we want to be.” 

“Right now I want to be someone you kiss again,” Jasper grunted bluntly. Her big hand curled around Pearl’s hip, drawing her closer. She looked up from where she had been hugged to Pearl’s chest, easily closing the relatively small distance, for her, to steal a kiss.


End file.
